Key West Quail-Dove

IDENTIFICATION: Bright, reddish-brown above, and gray below, with a dramatic, white horizontal stripe below the eye. In good light, the feathers on the back of the neck appear iridescent green, while the upper back is iridescent purple. Length: 27-31 cm.; weight: 148-199 g.

VOICE: A low-pitched, fading note, "coo-oo", like blowing across an empty bottle. Heard most often in spring and summer. Audio (G. Lasley).

HABITAT: Dense native forests, especially dryer forests with well-developed shrub layer.

HABITS: Forages alone on the forest floor for fallen berries, seeds, and occasionally snails. Cupey (Clusea rosea) is one of its favorite fruits. Quail-Doves walk slowly, bobbing the head forward and backward. The rustling of leaves on the forest floor is often the first clue that one is nearby. When approached by humans, it will quickly run into the undergrowth, or fly a short distance into dense cover. Breeds in the first half of the year. The nest is a flimsy platform of twigs low in a tree or in a tangle of vines. The female lays two buff-colored eggs.

STATUS AND CONSERVATION: An uncommon, permanent resident of Puerto Rico and Vieques. The recovery of native forest in the 20^th Century has probably helped this species. It was formerly hunted, but there is no open season on this species now.

RANGE: Breeds only in the Bahamas, Turks & Caicos, Cuba, Hispaniola, and Puerto Rico. It formerly occurred in the Florida Keys including Key West, but urban development and hunting eliminated it there. Regular at Laguna Tortugero and the campground at Susúa state forest.

TAXONOMY: COLUMBIFORMES; COLUMBIDAE

Photo: G. Beaton

Photo: J. Faaborg*

Photo: W. Arendt*

References

Bent, A.C. 1938. Life histories of North American gallinaceous birds. Smithsonian Instit. U.S. National Museum Bull. 162. (Reprinted by Dover Press, NY, 1963).

del Hoyo, J., A. Elliott, and J. Sargatal, eds. 1998. Handbook of Birds of the World, Vol. 4. Sandgrouse to cuckoos. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona.

Gibbs, D., E. Barnes, and J. Cox. 2001. Pigeons and doves: A guide to the pigeons and doves of the world. Yale University Press.

Ortiz Rosas, P. 1981. Guía del cazador: aves de caza y especies protegidas. Depto. de Recursos Naturales, San Juan, PR.

Raffaele, H.A. 1989. A guide to the birds of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Princeton.

Raffaele, H.A. 1989. Una guía a las aves de Puerto Rico y las Islas Vírgenes. Publishing Resources, Inc., Santurce, PR.

Raffaele, H.A., J.W. Wiley, O.H. Garrido, A.R. Keith, and J.I. Raffaele. 1998. Guide to the birds of the West Indies. Princeton.

Rivera-Milán, F.F. 1992. Distribution and abundance patterns of columbids in Puerto Rico. Condor 94:224-238.

Rodríguez, D., and B. Sanchez. 1993. Ecología de las palomas terrestres cubanas (géneros Geotrygon y Starnoenas). Poeyana 428:1-19.

Saliva, J.E. 1994. Vieques y su fauna: Vieques wildlife manual. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Boquerón, PR.

Sorrie, B.A. 1975. Observations on the birds of Vieques Island, Puerto Rico. Carib. J. Sci. 15:89-103.

Key West Quail-Dove, Spanish text

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